Up Close With the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette is quite good, but we’ve all been waiting for what’s next, considering how the Corvette lineup is always chock-full of higher-performance variations. That wait ended in October 2021 when the higher-performance 2023 Corvette Z06 debuted with a claim to “put the world on notice.” We checked out the new high-performance Corvette, on display at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show, to see how the Z06 plans to properly track down Ferraris and Porsches.
Related: More Chicago Auto Show Coverage
The heart of the Z06 is the new LT6 V-8. It’s a defining component of the refreshed Z06, considering how radically different this engine is versus not only the base C8 Corvette but also the previous-generation Z06. The LT6 has less displacement, more camshafts and a flatter crankshaft than the base Vette, and it makes 670 horsepower … at 8,400 RPM, which is some 2,000 rpm higher than the current base Corvette makes at peak power. Chevrolet says it’s the most horsepower for a naturally aspirated V-8 in any production car. It’s 180 hp more than the base Vette’s 6.2-liter and even 20 hp more than the previous Z06’s 6.2-liter V-8, which had more displacement and a supercharger.
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Let me reiterate: less displacement, no supercharger and more power. Wow. Torque is down quite a lot versus the previous Z06, at 460 pounds-feet at 6,300 rpm versus 650 pounds-feet at 3,600 rpm, but engine speed and gearing might have something to say about how that affects acceleration.
At the auto show, there’s a cutaway of the new, exotic LT6 engine. If you’re into geeky details, you’ll be impressed by the dual-overhead-camshaft engine and the massive amount of airflow to support a naturally aspirated 670 hp at an 8,600-rpm redline. You can see the new cylinder heads and flat-plane crank, plus the trick intake manifold with twin 87-millimeter throttle bodies, versus the single 87-mm throttle body on the base Corvette’s LT2 V-8. Visible, too, are the LT6 manifold’s eight individual trumpets for each cylinder, as well as the split-chamber design with butterfly actuators that divvy up airflow.
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Of course, the rest of the Z06 has been given a reworking, including wider fenders, enlarged body air intakes, wider wheels and tires, bigger brakes, and a new aero-enhancing spoiler and ground effects. The list of what’s changed is impressive, but the Z06 at the auto show doesn’t have the menacing presence of its forebears versus the base Corvette. The wider stance doesn’t appear very different, even though the car is 3.6 inches wider, and the crazy-wide 345-mm rear tires (up from 305 mm) are tucked into the car so well that the steamrollers are practically hidden. Perhaps this perception will change once we see one on the road.
It’s interesting to see a new engine debut that isn’t turbocharged or supercharged, as that’s typically the norm with high-performance engines. We often comment on how we miss the engagement and responsiveness of naturally aspirated engines in certain applications, so the turn to natural aspiration is appealing, especially knowing the new power plant pairs with the Vette’s fantastic eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Will we miss the low-end torque the Vette has been known to provide in heaps? We’ll have to get behind the wheel to find out. Production of the 2023 Corvette Z06 is expected to begin in summer 2022.
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